


chase the light, my love

by thebeamingsun



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Time Skip, half of this is crack and the other is just kage being a sappy idiot, references to kageyama's childhood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:48:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24179200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebeamingsun/pseuds/thebeamingsun
Summary: Kageyama should've told his team about his boyfriend before telling them his plans to propose.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 66
Kudos: 1534
Collections: Haikyuu Fanfiction Archive, Relationship Reveals





	chase the light, my love

**Author's Note:**

> hello!! this is the first fic I wrote in years. the power of my overflowing love for kageyama tobio… this is very cheesy, i apologize in advance.
> 
> there’s a little heteronormativity at the beginning just so you know.
> 
> guide for the adler players (partly for me as well lol): hirugami fukuro, captain, #2; heiwajima toshiro, libero, #1; romero nicolas, #5; sokolov tatsuto, #7

Tobio continues to squint at his glass of sake, hands wrap tight around it like he’s trying to strangle the poor thing.

Their little team of eight is squished into a table in the corner of a small traditional Japanese restaurant. It’s late after practice and it’s been a while since they all had dinner as a team. With the next few days off, everyone’s a little drunker than they should be.

“The toothpick method is unreliable for growing avocados,” Wakatoshi says steadily, his tone leaving no space for argument. “Not only can the seed rot more easily, it requires more effort and time, something us volleyball players do not have much of.”

In Nicolas’s experience, volleyball players are incredibly fun drunks. Wakatoshi passionately educating them about agriculture every time they go out for a drink only proves his point further. There’s a slight red tint on his cheeks even as he articulates each word with precision.

“I don’t care! I just wanna stab some avocados!” Kourai says, miming stabbing motions with his chopsticks to enunciate his point, surprisingly just as infested in this conversation as Wakatoshi.

Wakatoshi sighs, with the air of patience you’d direct at a five-year-old child. “It is only a momentary trend, but it makes sense that someone like you would fall for it.”

 _Drunk Wakatoshi is such a riot_ , Nicolas thinks as he lets out an unexpected crackle.

“Hah? What did you say, you bastard?” It takes both Sokolov and Hirugami to restrain Kourai, whose fists are already up, ready for a fight, and green veins bulging on his forehead.

Unbothered by all of this, Tobio tilts his head, his glare still fixed on his glass. Nicolas hides his smile with his own glass. He’s completely gone after a few glasses, that’s so on-brand with Tobio’s charm!

A lot of people, fans included, tend to be intimidated by Tobio, more so when he’s on the court, and his eyes blaze with something Nicolas cannot name but recognizes. But after years of knowing the younger player, it’s become obvious that that’s just Tobio’s resting face. To Nicolas, it’s exceptionally endearing. Tobio, who’s so sincere in everything he does, with a passion rivaling his own; how can Nicolas not dot on him? And every time he scowls, Nicolas can’t help but think of a very grumpy puppy, with an affinity with volleyball.

Maybe that’s why it’s a little jarring when Tobio starts wearing his happiness on his sleeves.

For the last few months, Tobio’s shoulders were less tense and his eyes brighter. When Nicolas compliments him or a play goes exceptionally well, his entire body lifts up with pride and he almost beams. He almost looks like a different person.

There were several pitches from some of their nosier teammates, mental break downs and supernatural possession were quickly shot down.

Nicolas is not one to pry into other people’s business, but he is glad for his little kouhai (did he use that word right??).

When Tobio lets out a fourth sigh, Nicolas takes pity on the sake and thinks a little prying won’t hurt anyone. He can’t tell if he doesn’t like the alcohol or if he’s just deep in thoughts.

“Tobio,” Nicolas says, nudging the boy next to him, “not liking the food?”

Tobio starts, the liquid sloshes against the side of the glass, threatening to spill over. He blinks, snapping out of whatever he was thinking of.

“…No.” He says, his expression mulish like whenever Nicolas’s youngest daughter refuses to eat vegetables.

Nicolas almost laughs. “You know you can tell me whatever’s bothering you, right? Or anyone on the team, really, if you don’t feel like telling me.”

Tobio snaps his head up, panicked. “No! It’s just, uh.” He trails off and his face flushes brighter from alcohol and something else. “I’m thinking of proposing soon.”

Nicolas’s smile freezes on his face, and so does the rest of the table before they snap their head towards their setter in terrifying unison. Even Wakatoshi lifts his head with a raised eyebrow.

The quiet lasts for a second before the yelling begins.

“Huh?!?!” Kourai sputters as he slams a hand on the table. His other hand pointing at Tobio with a pair of chopsticks, a slice of sashimi still clutched in-between. A great impression of a yakuza boss.

“Who knew our little Tobio was such a player,” Heiwajima wails dramatically and falls limp against Sokolov. The half-Russian pats his arm absentmindedly, expression dazed.

“Congratulations,” Nicolas says as he tries to recover his composure. “I didn’t know you have a girlfriend.”

Tobio tilts his head. “…I don’t.”

A beat passes.

Their captain lets out a sigh. “Okay, we’re clearly not on the same page.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Kageyama, what do you think proposing means?”

“Oh, false alarm…” Heiwajima mutters into his cup, dejected.

Tobio looks like he’s torn between being offended and being confused. “…Asking someone to marry you?”

“Ajfglkdafl,” says Sokolov at once. And the team descends into chaos again. Nicolas is pretty sure Kourai is just screaming for the sake of screaming at this point. The owner is unmistakably giving them the stink eye now. Nicolas smiles apologetically, mentally swearing to never step foot here again. Why does this happen every time they go out.

“I want to propose to my boyfriend,” Tobio clarifies. Heiwajima wails even louder, matching Kourai by the decibels.

“Aw, Kageyama, that’s sweet.” Hirugami smiles encouragingly, using his captain voice, the only way he could be heard over the noise. “How long have you been together?”

“Uh, almost five years.”

His teammates, most of them drunk off their asses, coos appreciatively.

Sokolov’s eyes are glassy when he whispers, “They grow up so fast…”

“Do you want help on picking out a ring?” Nicolas asks, trying to bring the focus back to what’s been bothering Tobio.

“I already bought one?”

“He already bought a riiiing!” Heiwajima screams very helpfully, flailing.

“Should I have bought something else?” He furrows his brows, deep in thoughts, and adds, “A new volleyball?” He thinks for a second more and nods decisively, “A new volleyball.”

The sound of groans and several people’s hands meeting their faces fill the air. Nicolas lets out a laugh and is impressed with how Tobio elicited it with a straight face and unadulterated innocence.

“That is a good idea,” Wakatoshi, their other resident volleyball-idiot, agrees solemnly. The conversation completely derails after that.

♛

Shouyou was already asleep when he’s back into their apartment.

After a quick shower, he slides under the covers. As if sensing his presence, Shouyou turns and snuggles up to him.

“Had a goo’ night?” He sleepily mumbles into his chest, turfs of orange hair tickling him and Tobio can physically feel the affection blooming in him, even as his eyes start drooping.

“Um-hm.”

“Di’ you outdrink Ushiwaka?”

“Of course, dumbass.”

Shouyou makes appreciative noises and throws his leg over his.

“Go to sleep, Shouyou.” Tobio says into his hair.

“Mn, night, Tobio.”

♛

Tobio is brushing his teeth diligently, nursing his headache, when everything that happened last night slowly caught up to his brain. He snaps his head up, eyes wide. His reflection stares back, just as bewildered and incredulous, hair an absolute mess, and all traces of sleep gone from his eyes. There’s muffled sizzling from the kitchen where Shouyou’s making breakfast.

He finds himself kneeling on the bathroom floor, and slam his face in his hands in hopes of elevating his embarrassment only to chokes on his toothbrush when he forgot that it’s in his mouth.

When he is decidedly not dead, Tobio, on a whim, climbs on the bathroom countertop and opens the cupboards, a place where Shouyou is not permitted to reach after he fell and almost crack his neck because he refused to use a stool (Tobio’s not either, but he’s tall, so).

He fishes out a velvet box, just behind the towels, and opens it.

He stares at the shiny little thing sitting inside.

After attending a wedding in Brazil, Shouyou said, in one of their video calls, out of all those ‘wedding stuff’, he only wants to dance with him, when it’s their turn to get marry. He said it with such certainty Tobio almost died on camera.

He suggested dancing in his living room, when Shouyou comes back home. On the screen, Shouyou laughed, his whole body shaking. “You’re such a romantic, Tobio! Romantic-yama!”

Tobio doesn’t really understand this whole ritual he has to do. Neither Shouyou or him wear any jewelry, but Yachi vehemently insists it’s about the gesture and accompanies him on the ring shopping. In the end, they got a simple and elegant one with a few tiny gems (Diamonds? Sapphires?), the middle one slightly bigger.

It almost looks like a crown.

Yachi says it’s the symbolism when she caught him staring at it, and Tobio finds himself agreeing.

Shouyou’s sliding an omelette up onto a plate when he emerges from the bathroom. He insists on making most of their meals, after catching Tobio with instant cup noodles _one time._ His shitty boyfriend raises an eyebrow when he spots faded white splatters of toothpaste on his shirt (he almost died! Have some sympathy!).

Sliding into his seat, Tobio glares half-heartedly, daring him to say something.

“Good morning!” Shouyou chirps with far too much energy and smugness for a person to have at six am.

Tobio groans in pain and drops his head on the table, narrowing missing his plate of eggs.

“Aw, is tired-yama hungover?”

“Shut up.” He mumbles into their table. Shouyou crackles.

The morning light slowly climbs on the table, caressing their faces with a gentle kind of warmth. They eat in silence. Shouyou’s trying more Western dishes as of late. The aroma of mushrooms, eggs and buttered toast is a comforting smell.

“Shouyou.”

“Hm?”

“I told my team about us.”

It wasn’t that he was keeping their relationship a secret, at least not purposefully. But while his social skills have come a long way from his awkward high school days, Tobio is still a very private person. He just doesn’t know how to slip something like his love life into a regular conversation.

Shouyou looks up from his phone and _beams_. He leans across the table and plants a kiss square on the lips, says, “I’m proud of you.”

Tobio smiles back tentatively. He doesn’t think Shouyou is completely aware of the effect he has on him, just effortlessly pulling Tobio into his orbit. “I was absolutely drunk when it happened.”

Shouyou bursts out in laughter, eyes squeezing tight. Tobio chuckles.

“Let me guess, you just blurted out ‘I’m dating someone’ in the middle of someone’s conversation.” He presses his mess of orange hair flat and lowers his voice until it’s almost an incomprehensible growl.

“Shut up,” Tobio laughs and flings a mushroom at him, which Shouyou catches with his mouth perfectly. “Why do you always make me sound like a final boss in a video game?”

“Oh? There’s a volleyball video game?” He intercepts another piece of mushroom with his mouth for all his troubles.

“At least thank me for breakfast before you weaponized them! How ungrateful.”

“Thank you for the breakfast,” he says dutifully. He’s rewarded with a cheeky grin and a kiss blow his way.

♛

At this point, Tobio can positively say he hates everyone he knows.

It’s been three days since their team night out, but evidently no one has forgotten his unprompted confession about his plans to propose.

He meets their eyes head-on. Tobio spent three years on the same team with Tsukishima; he knows how not to give the other party satisfaction.

“Kageyama!” Heiwajima Toshiro, their libero swings an arm around his shoulders. “How was your weekend?”

“It was fine.”

“Oh? Did you spend it with anyone?”

“No one in particular,” he lies with a straight face.

Heiwajima hums, not at all convinced. “Is that so?” His shit-eating smile is wiped completely when Romero jabs him in the ribs.

“Stop terrorizing Kageyama,” he chides, shooting to the top of Tobio’s favorite senpai list. “He’ll tell us in his own time.”

He quirks his lips in a terse, grateful manner and Romero winks back surreptitiously.

♛

“I’m dating Hinata.” He announces, when everyone is in the changing room, after practice.

He says this while facing his locker, putting back on his casual clothes. And despite everything, he finds he’s slightly nervous by their response.

Without missing a beat, Hoshiumi, who’s a few lockers down, whips his head around so fast it’s almost painful to watch. Tobio can already feel the regret and a headache coming up.

“Hinata? Hinata Shouyou?!?!” Hoshiumi’s practically vibrating with excitement.

Tobio manages not to cringe when Hoshiumi bounces towards him and grabs him by the shoulders. “You’re dating my greatest rival?!”

Tobio futilely tries to shrug him off and averts his eyes. “Does he even know he’s your rival?”

“Oho?” Heiwajima lets out, confused but too amused by the turn of events for Tobio’s taste.

“Hinata Shouyou, from the concrete,” Ushijima mutters, almost to himself. He is met with bemusement and adds, “He’s on MSBY Black Jackals’ roster. There’s a high chance we’ll play against him in our next match.”

Heiwajima puts a hand on his chest and gasps. “Star-crossed lovers! How scandalous!”

“Don’t mind him, Kageyama. He’s just acting out because a fan said he looks like somebody’s distant uncle.”

“Hey!”

“Ooh!” Sokolov says, already pulled up the MSBY website. “He’s cute!”

Romero peeks over his shoulders. “Wait, is that Ninja Shouyou?”

“Ninja Shouyou?”

“Yeah, that’s his nickname back in Brazil when he was playing beach.”

“Arg!!” Hoshiumi musses his hair in frustration. “That’s so cool!”

“I think ‘the Small Giant’ is pretty cool, too.” Sokolov smiles at him.

“But, but…” Hoshiumi makes grabby hands at the air in front of him, his face constipated. “Ninja…!”

Sokolov and the other older players laugh. Silently, Tobio also thinks ‘ninja’ is a cool moniker to have.

(He wonders, if the boy he met years ago, short with bright orange hair and stars in his eyes, the one who’d vowed to become the next Small Giant; would he think the same?)

“Haha, my son thinks so too. He’s absolutely enamored with him, says he’s gonna learn beach volleyball just like Ninja Shouyou!”

(Tobio likes to think he would.)

“Romero-san, your son is twelve as of this year, right?” Ushijima asks politely, not without making a pointed look towards Hoshiumi.

“Hah? What are you implying, you bastard?”

♛

Sweat drips down Tobio’s face as he lunges for the ball. He dives to the ground, an arm outstretched, fingers almost, almost touching it.

The ball hits the ground, bounces twice, and rolls away.

Tobio rolls to his back, his chest heaving up and down. The whistle blows in the distance. The crowd is loud but foggy. He thinks he can hear Shouyou’s laughter and he smiles.

_“If you get really good, I promise you somebody who’s even better will come and find you.”_

That someone found him a long time ago, Tobio only hopes he stays with him.

Sokolov helps him up and pats his back. Hirugami ruffles his hair.

“Line up!”

They congratulate their opponents on the well-earned win; they shake their hands. Nobody comments if Tobio’s smile is especially soft when his hand touches Shouyou’s.

They bow to their audience; they thank them in unison.

Tobio soaks in the cheers, satiated in a way he hasn’t felt in a long time.

He turns his head, just in time to see Shouyou starting to walk towards him, and then running.

Shouyou ducks under the net and makes a running leap at him. Tobio’s arms instinctively open and despite the exhaustion sinking in his bones, he catches the love of his life and swings him around once, twice, three times.

Shouyou is still laughing when he is gently lowered to the ground. “Tobio, _Tobio_ , I did it.”

He smiles, something warm blossoms in his chest. “Yeah, you did it.”

“I beat you.” He says, breathless, arms sliding down his shoulder.

“Uh-huh,” Tobio allows, just this once. “Welcome home, dumbass.” _I’m so proud of you._

Instead of getting offended like he would have six years ago, Shouyou laughs, throwing his head back. The stadium light peaks out between strands of his hair, like stars in the sky just before the sun goes down.

“Shouyou,” he croaks out, emotion suddenly choking him by the throat. Every half-baked plan he thought of the last few weeks flies out his mind.

“Tobio.” He echoes back. They’re both positively covered in sweat, but Shouyou’s smile is still the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen.

“I’m… I’m not good with my words.”

“I’m aware,” he teases, eyes crinkled fondly.

“Asshole,” he snorts and continues, “I… I wasn’t in the best place when I first met you. But you change that; you inspire me to be better, in every way.”

Shouyou’s breath hitched, eyes growing bigger with every word.

“Hinata Shouyou, I love you, if you would allow, I would like to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Tears gathered on the corner of Shouyou’s eyes, threatening to spill over. He laughs wetly. “S-shouldn’t you at least have a r-ring?”

“It’s on the bench.”

Dealt with the final straw, he bursts in tears.

“I couldn’t wait.”

Shouyou flings himself at him, arms squeezing him tight.

“You’re s-such an idiot, Tobio,” He sobs into the crook of Tobio’s neck. “I l-love you so muuch…!”

Tobio rubs comforting circles on the small of his back, smiling. “Is that a no? Am I being rejected?”

Shouyou makes a panicked sound. “No! I mean yes- I mean- _Tobioooo_ , stop laughing at me!”

He doesn’t even try. Tobio can’t remember the last time he laughed so freely in public.

Shouyou pouts, before cupping his face and firmly pressing their lips together. Tobio smiles into the kiss.

The cacophony of cheers, screams and wolf-whistles are thunderous, his own team a roaring chaos behind him.

♛

Contrary to popular belief, out of all of their original third-year upperclassmen, Asahi has the greatest control of his tear ducts.

Daichi claps them on the back, like a proud father, and congratulates them, two streams of tears rolling steadily down his cheeks. In the background, Sugawara and Tanaka are clinging to each other and bawling their eyes out. Tanaka swings his scarf in the air only because it’s too cold to take off his shirt.

If he’s honest, Tobio would admit that he misses this particular brand of dramatics.

Being the designated bastard, Tsukishima only lifts one eyebrow. He remains eye contact with Tobio while handing out tissues periodically to Yachi and Yamaguchi, his expressionless face somehow saying, “ _Took you long enough.”_

They can… be described as friends these days, a loose term, but Tobio thinks he’s still allowed to hate him, just a little bit.

“Ninja Shouyou!”

Shouyou turns and his eyes almost pop out. “Mr. Romero-san?!?!”

Romero only laughs a little at the multiple honorifics. “Hi, my son’s a big fan of yours. Do you mind signing an autograph for him?”

Shouyou, who’s already the most emotional he’s been in a long time, bursts into tears again.

♛

It isn’t until later that night, when the celebrations and congratulation were over, do they even remember the ring. Shouyou laughs himself silly when a black velvet box falls out of Tobio’s bag and he gapes in horror.

In the comfortable, familiar silence of their living room, Tobio kneels one leg on the wooden floor and slips on a ring on Shouyou’s finger.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> [i did a little comic about the romero and hinata scene if you’re interested!](https://mintystea.tumblr.com/post/616840464384032768/ok-maybe-meet-your-heroes-sometimes)
> 
> feel free to tell me if you spot any mistakes or have any constrictive criticism, my english is rusty at best lmao (pls be nice tho)
> 
> im [mintystea on tumblr](https://mintystea.tumblr.com/), come say hi!! take care and stay safe!


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